Guest Post: Brothers and sisters, to those in Baltimore and beyond by Simone Oyekan

I write this letter to you, not with a pen. But with the tears and exasperation of My People. 

Am I to be loved any less by you because my skin is the shade of a Kushite? 1

Where were you when Breonna Taylor was murdered in her home? 

Where were you when George Floyd had a knee in the neck on the street in broad daylight?

When were you when Ahmaud Arbery was shot to death while jogging?

Where were you to speak up when your neighbor was being taken away?2

The question used to be, where were you when 9/11 happened. 

The first three are situations that have caused widespread pain of the heart in the Black community. For my generation, they will not be a part of the dialogue. 

My initial reaction to the support of our allies was.. didn’t you know? Didn’t you know that prejudice existed? Didn’t you know My People were being killed for reasons that never made sense? Must I shout it or be in your face before you notice me? These stories weren’t new nor all; they were just so blatantly public and hard to ignore. They were the straw that broke the camel’s back. Like a lamb led to the slaughter, we have been denied justice.3

“You shall love THE LORD, your GOD, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Since I started full-time ministry in the Catholic Church about 4 months ago, I hear many words. Encounter, relationship, accompany, missionary discipleship. All words gleaned from the continuously refined research and publications designed to fix our churches’ overgrown problem. 

Not to be the woke police4, but it seems both racism and the emptiness in our churches have something in common. It is a rejection of GOD and a rejection of one another.5 If THE HOLY GHOST is in the church and you’re not there, then where are you? Or do you feel the church has lost its relevance or, even worse, was it never relevant? The church can’t be relevant if relevant people don’t fill the pews or sign up for church leadership councils. Have you tried JESUS for yourself?6 Or just tried attending a place of worship near your house. Perhaps it’s in the same way we abandon our degrees and qualifications because they are no longer relevant to the job we do.7 Love one another as I have loved you (John 13:34). 

When someone racially different is in your midst, have you tried to learn more about their culture? To include them. Or, if they have a physical disability, have you tried to learn more about their experiences? I believe that if everyone was able to commit to doing one thing for a group of people whose issues were different from their own… if everyone could commit to speaking up when they notice harassment or prejudice… that would make all the difference.8 Show me your faith, and I will show you my works from my faith (James 2:18). 

Perhaps the real problem is GOD is like our Black neighbors. Too close, too easy to reach out to as well as ignore, too available. 

Until there is (1) mandatory training for leaders, (2) anti-racism goals tied to annual performance in personal and corporate contexts, and a (3) a review of the employees, structures, and words used in all organizations and systems. There will be no change. 

I gather up each sound in my psyche.

That the blows of racism have left behind

Thinking of Sarah Baartje and countless others

Each day I breathe in the gospel.

As I encounter CHRIST and HIS face in others

And become anew.9

Author’s Note: In case you’re wondering, there hasn’t been an appropriate resolution to the three instances I asked about at the beginning, despite the widespread protests. So no, I’m not complaining; this issue is relevant to you, the system doesn’t work. 

References

1. 2 Corinthians 12:15
2. First They Came by Martin Niemöller
3. Isaiah 53:7
4. Statement made by Chris Harrison of The Bachelor franchise
5. 1 Samuel 8:7
6. Romans 13:14
7. 2 Corinthians 7:8-9
8. ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost. 
9. A play on ‘Poem #3’ by Sonia Sanchez.